Strangers is clever, compelling and will keep you guessing. C.L. Taylor is a master at creating a palpable sense of darkness that is unsettling but addictive. I couldn’t put Strangers down.
Alice is the manager of Mirage Fashions in Meads Shopping Centre, Bristol. Mother to Emily, ex-wife to Peter and best friend to Lynne. In a failed attempt to re-enter the dating world, she finds herself fleeing from a threatening situation. When she hears footsteps pursuing her after her failed date, she’s relieved that it’s Simon, an attractive man from a nearby table with the wallet she has left behind. However, Simon has a dangerous secret he’s keeping.
Gareth is the head of security at the same shopping centre. His life is based around his mother Joan who suffers dementia and needs around the clock care. He begins to worry when she starts receiving visits from William Mackesy, the local Spiritualist Church Leader. Mackesy claims to be receiving messages from Gareth’s father, a father who went missing 20 years earlier. When post cards to Joan signed from his father start arriving, Gareth doesn’t know if that means his father is still alive or something more sinister.
Ursula, a teacher turned courier who after the violent death of her partner has developed a compulsion to steal, is often seen amongst the clothing racks of Mirage Fashions. Abandoning her previous life, she drifts from share house to share house tenuously surviving. She’s not sure that the house she’s in now is safe…
All three will be drawn together in this gripping thriller that will keep you guessing. Written from three perspectives C.L Taylor is a master at plot twists and weaving complex layers together, multiple story lines with apparently no connection and the ending is explosive! There is a lot of hype surrounding this book and it certainly delivers.
Many of you will be looking to read a book that transports you away from the everyday – particularly at the moment and I find that this genre absolutely does this for me. I was so consumed by the tense plot and trying to analyse all the elements that there wasn’t really time to reflect on anything other than ‘how did we get here’ and ‘wow! I didn’t see that coming!’
This is the first C.L Taylor book I have read but she is a million-copy bestselling author, so you can be sure she’s one of the best in this genre. There is an extensive back list so if you are late to the party then you can binge read the lot. Sounds good to me!
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